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RNZ News
12 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Less than third of govt's redress package going to survivors
Less than a third of the government's much celebrated $774 million abuse in care redress package will end up in the pockets of survivors. Timothy Brown has more. To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following: See terms of use.
RNZ News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Unclear how much abuse in care redress will reach survivors
Minister Erica Stanford has announced $774 million will be spent improving New Zealand's care system. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone The government cannot say how much of its investment in abuse in care redress will end up with survivors. Last week, Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry Lead Response Minister Erica Stanford announced [ the government would not set up a new compensation scheme for survivors], despite a new redress system being the primary recommendation of the Royal Commission and Prime Minister Christopher Luxon assuring survivors at November's apology that [. such a system was being developed]. Instead, Stanford announced $774 million would be spent improving the existing system and making changes to New Zealand's care system . Following enquiries from RNZ, a spokesperson for the Minister confirmed only $533.5 million was actually earmarked for redress and it was unclear how much of that was destined for survivors. The funding would be used for "redress system changes and provision of redress for abuse in care (including the survivor experience service and konae)". RNZ asked for a further breakdown of the funding, including how much was set aside for administration costs, but Stanford's office said it was not possible to provide those numbers at this time. Survivor and advocate Keith Wiffin said the government continued to prop up failing systems and ignoring the experience of survivors. "When they announce these figures, it creates a misconception in the public mind that all this money is going towards those who have suffered - survivors - and it's just not the case," he said. "It just adds great insult to injury. "It's always been the case with these monumental failed schemes that the investment made into them gets, for the most part, sucked up by administration costs and the fund disappears. "It was a very good reason as to why the announcement should've been about an investment in an independent process, because one of the things that would've achieved is it would've made all those expensive government agency processes redundant - where the resource could've been far more allocated to those who have suffered." The government needed to change its approach, Wiffin said. "We spend, annually, somewhere between $5 (billion) to $6 billion on the care industry, but only a fraction of that goes towards the benefit of the person in care. "We should have had, on Friday, an announcement on a new way of doing things, because until we do things differently, we are going to get the same outcome." Earlier this week, it was revealed almost a quarter of National's flagship FamilyBoost policy had [. gone towards administration]. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
09-05-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Abuse in care survivors vow to fight on after government opts against new compensation scheme
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Minister Erica Stanford. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone Abuse in care survivors have described the government's changes to the redress system as an insult, a broken promise and a kick in the guts. The government will not be setting up a new compensation scheme for survivors, as Prime Minister Christopher Luxon had indicated at November's apology to survivors and as the Abuse in Care Royal Commission of Inquiry had recommended. Instead, $774 million would be spent improving the existing system and to make changes to New Zealand's care system. Average payments to survivors would rise from about $19,000 to $30,000 and previously settled claims could be topped up by 50 percent. However, those who had suffered abuse at the hands of faith-based organisations or other non-state providers were excluded from the scheme. Survivors had consistently called for the Royal Commission's recommendations to be actioned, including the establishment of an independent, survivor-led and survivor-informed redress system for all those who suffered abuse in the past, present and into the future, whether it was committed at the hands of the state or faith-based institutions. Keith Wiffin, who entered state care at 10-years-old and sat on the Redress Design Group which provided a report to the government in late 2023, said the work of the design group and the government's ultimate announcement bore no similarity. "They are poles apart," Wiffin said. "Today's announcement is essentially a miniscule amount of topping up a thoroughly rotten process, governed by the very same people who have always opposed us and disrespected us." The key aspect of the group's scheme and the Royal Commission's recommendation was its independence from the Crown and the government departments responsible for abuse and the failure to protect children and vulnerable people. "This should've been a day when we were celebrating something meaningful . . . like we celebrated after the apology. We should have been celebrating the implementation of that scheme in some form," Wiffin said. Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll, who was co-chair of the design group, said the government's increased payments to survivors were still well short of those offered in comparable schemes overseas. "What's been proposed, not only has it appeared to take very little heed of what survivors were advising, but it also don't match the scale of the abuse and harm," Ahuriri-Driscoll said. "That's the key feeling. "The payments proposed are still considerably lower than other jurisdictions, which is really disappointing." In Canada, Indian Residential Schools settlements averaged about $100,000. In Ireland, it was about the same. In Australia, the National Redress Scheme payments averaged about $84,000. But in recent years those who had sought justice through the courts in Australia had received hundreds of thousands and even millions of dollars in compensation. Darryl Smith, who was abused in state and church care facilities from the age of 7, said he saw the government's Lead Minister Erica Stanford less than a fortnight ago at his investiture ceremony for his King's Service Medal for services to survivors of abuse care. She promised he would be surprised by the redress announcement, but he did not expect it would be an unpleasant surprise, Smith said. "To Erica Stanford and to the Prime Minister and to all the National government, resign immediately," Smith told RNZ following today's announcement. "What you have done is offensive to survivors, offensive to the people of this country, and offensive to survivors around the world." Survivors were also outraged the government was picking and choosing who redress applied to, with survivors of abuse in faith-based institutions, and those whose claims sat with school boards or other non-state providers excluded. Ihorangi Reweti-Peters, who was uplifted by Oranga Tamariki when he was 7-months-old, said it was the wrong approach. "All survivors should be treated equally and they should all have an opportunity to apply for redress and get redress via a single redress system, but, again, it's another broken promise," he said. Terry Kingi, who was abused by the church and in state care facilities from a young age, said he was angry and gutted at the government's decision. "For us survivors, especially those in the 60 and 70 age groups, this is a total kick in the guts and has virtually made the apology of last November a total waste of time," he said. Survivors told RNZ today did not mark the end of their fight, but simply the start of another one. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
